It's just a flesh wound.

When last we met... The kitchen table had been clamped into submission and I was finishing the stain on it whether I liked it or not. I've since polyurethaned the living daylights out of it in an effort to get the finish I want. I swear to God it is yet again sitting on the back deck getting a layer of poly on it.

Steve says he is reminded of the quote from "The Agony and the Ecstasy" (a movie about Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel) where the cardinal yells at Michelangelo wanting to know when he will "make an end" and Michelangelo yells back "When I am finished!" Steve is both attractively well-educated and a total jackass at the same time.

From there we moved on. Realizing that we were never going to get all the books in the living room unpacked until we had something to unpack them on to, I put the media wall on the top of the to-do list. At some point my in-laws decided to come visit that weekend. I spent the whole weekend going in to a room to use the power tool there only to have them dash off in the other direction. I like my in-laws and would never deliberately make them uncomfortable, but if you're one of those who got stuck with a monster-in-law I suggest using your miter saw as an offensive weapon. Works like a charm.

I started with the base unit, building the box at my bff's house while she built a bookcase. It went together quickly and easily and even came home without getting all wobbly. I trimmed it out and got down to staining it.


Here I am putting extra care into getting an even coat on the underside of a piece of furniture that will then be loaded down with approx. 18 tons of paperback books.

It's a good thing I'm pretty, eh? Because I'm never going to get by on my brains.

The hutch construction was even easier and my father in law would cruise through the kitchen or porch every once in a while and make a little "huh" of interest. He's a man of few words so when he said "I'm really impressed" I got all chuffed and blushy.

And then... oh and then. And then we moved on to putting the trim on the top. Crown molding that I'd carefully cut and gotten all nicely mitered and ready to go. I used my nail gun and got it attached securely all the way down. Right to the very end. Where I wrapped my hand around the top to hold the molding on, aimed my nail gun, and shot right through the molding, the top of the hutch, and into the side of my finger.

Never let it be said that I don't shed blood for my art.


Looks like no big deal, eh? Hurt like a sonofabitch and then got this lovely bruise on it. And that's the finger I use to scroll down on my mouse. I spent the entire next day at work reading through a massive document making edits. So all day long I'd be like '*scroll scroll* Ow. *scroll scroll scroll* Ow."


Oh ye gods of carpentry I offer this blood sacrifice up to you. I ask that you take pity on my poor skills with a square. I ask that you grant me a smooth even finish, solid joins, right angles, and the ability to remember how to cut crown molding for more than 5 seconds because it seems like I keep having to look it up every single time. That's all I ask. Well.... that and a spot on the brag board.

Kthnx!



At the bottom of this you can see the oak leaf trim I put around the top of the face trim. It was exactly the perfect touch.

And here's the almost finished project in all its glory. If by "glory" you mean "doesn't have all the shelves yet, haven't decided whether to put a back on it, and don't have the side units even started." Which I do.


Still, regardless of that I'm so amazingly happy with this new hobby. I look at it with total joy every time I walk through the room and I know that it's exactly what I need. It has exactly the shelves I want, fits my exact tv, and has the perfect finish for our living room furniture.

When you buy furniture you buy someone else's needs. When you make your own you get all this personal satisfaction AND something that fits your needs. Also, it gave me the excuse I needed to buy the sliding miter saw I wanted. And really, it's all about the toys.